Every year during the Summer solstice, we hear a call not to pick rare and protected plants. The LIFE FOR SPECIES project team is also joining this call by launching a monthly species campaign. In the future, each month we will give you a short story about one of Latvia's rare and specially protected species.

We nominate the greater Butterfly-orchid (Platanthera chlorantha) as a protected species in June of 2021.  This plant is found in grasslands, forest edges, also in bushes, and right now - it blooms brightly. From its counterpart and the most popular species - the lesser Butterfly-orchid (Platanthera bifolia), greater Butterfly-orchid differs in the arrangement of canopy-like stamens and flowers that do not have fragrance. The plant is found throughout the territory of Latvia, but in the eastern part of the country there are greater chances to observe it.

The greater Butterfly-orchid is one of the species of wild orchids found in Latvia - most of them are specially protected species. Wild orchids take a long time from seed to flowering plant - sometimes it takes up to 10 years or more. Therefore, let's enjoy these beautiful plants with our eyes, memorize them in photos, but let them bloom and sow the seeds in the wild!

The Project “Threatened species in Latvia: improved knowledge, capacity, data and awareness” LIFE19 GIE/LV/000857 LIFE FOR SPECIES is implemented with the financial support of the LIFE Programme of the European Union and Latvian State Regional Development Agency. This publication reflects only authors’ view. Neither CINEA (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency) nor European Commission are responsible of any use that may be made, or the information contained therein.